IN SHORT: Dino Melaye lost in the November 2023 off-cycle election in Kogi state. A claim shared several times on social media in Nigeria says the former lawmaker fainted upon hearing the election result, but the video shared as evidence is from 2019.
“Moment Dino Melaye fainted, when he heard the result of the gubernatorial election,” reads a post by Ekohotblog on Facebook
The post, published 13 November 2023, claims a video attached to the post shows the moment Melaye fainted after hearing the result of the election.
Melaye is a former senate member who represented Kogi West senatorial district. He participated in the November election for governor in Kogi state, as a candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party.
The All Progressives Congress candidate Usman Ododo won the election.
Melaye is widely known as an outspoken politician who is often active on social media and engages in political trolling.
The video has been viewed by over 67,000 users, shared by more than 500 times and has over 240 comments.
A similar claim sharing the same video can be found here.
But is the video real? We checked.
Video from 2019
A Google search brought up a 2019 video on YouTube. In the video, uploaded by Channels Television, Melaye is being supported by two men. The caption of the video reads: “How Dino Melaye Emerged, Slumped After Eight-Day Seige.”
Africa Check found that the former lawmaker was wanted for the alleged shooting of a police officer, an incident widely reported by the Nigeria media.
The video shows Melaye leaving his house in police custody. It is from 2019 and does not show events after the 2023 Kogi gubernatorial election.
Elections are critical events, and false information about a candidate's health could influence public perception.
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